Waste Sludge Management – Exploring the Options

The management of waste sludge can be both a challenging and expensive activity. It can arise from a diverse range of sources from brownfield redevelopment to many industrial practices including mining, petroleum refining, power stations, combustion plants, waste water treatment plants and dredging.

Landfill offers the simplest form of disposal but these sludges are often turned away by operators due to the elevated moisture content; sludge can behave much like a liquid which is banned from all UK sites. If landfill sites are prepared to accept this material it usually attracts the highest rates of disposal to reflect the difficulties in handling.

For large volumes other options do exist in the form of advanced sludge treatment facilities; these look to implement expensive techniques including chemical thickening, pasteurisation, thermal hydrolysis and incineration.

For Dunton Environmental, the development of environmentally sustainable innovation is very important to us. It’s the driving force behind being able to provide a real alternative to the UK market for the treatment of sludge. We have engineered a unique combination of remedial techniques that combines dewatering, contaminant destruction, and odour control to enable material to be re-used compliantly. If practicable, this technique can be used at the site of origin, or alternatively, at one of our fixed waste treatment facilities.